The most recent turkey hatchery data shows a slight increase in eggs currently being incubated, even as the number of young turkeys hatched and placed during May declined compared to a year ago.
As of June 1, the number of eggs sitting in incubators was up 1 percent from the same point last year, suggesting some optimism among producers heading into the summer months.
However, the number of poults — newly hatched young turkeys — that came out of hatcheries during the month of May was down 4 percent from May of last year. The number of net poults placed during that same period also dropped by 4 percent year-over-year.
The figures were released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.
